No Ruling on Temporary Restraining Order Against the City Judge Denies TRO by Nathalie Graham • Dec 17, 2020 at 2:45 pm
Activists and encampment dwellers are still prepared for a sweep. Nathalie Graham
Is the city going to sweep the Cal Anderson Park homeless encampment or not? For now, the answer is still a big question mark. The decision hinges on whether U.S. District Court Judge Richard A. Jones decides to go forward with a temporary restraining order (TRO) filed against the city yesterday.
The decision was supposed to come out this morning. It still hasn t. The court is edging us. However, new information provided by the city this afternoon may sway the decision in the city s favor.
by Nathalie Graham • Dec 16, 2020 at 12:40 pm We re not terrible people, one encampment dweller said, We re just desperate. Nathalie Graham
The barricades of overturned dumpsters, upside-down couches, fridges, and one lonely soccer goal encircling the homeless encampment at Cal Anderson Park remained intact Wednesday morning. Sponsored
Protest groups and activists turned out en masse to resist a planned encampment sweep that the city announced on Monday when Seattle Parks and Recreation employees, accompanied by a Seattle Police Department presence, posted notices around the park. The city would clear the encampment at 7:30 a.m. today, the notice read, but the sweep still hadn t happened as of Wednesday afternoon.
Congress is close to finalizing a year-end $900 billion stimulus deal: It looks like the compromise is expected provide a new round of [~$600] direct payments to millions of Americans as well as additional unemployment benefits [~$300/week], food assistance and rental aid. It would prop up sputtering businesses with federally backed loans and provide funding for schools, hospitals and the distribution of a just-approved vaccine, reports the
New York Times.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has noted that Georgia incumbent senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler are getting hammered in their runoff elections for not providing another round of stimulus checks. The PR of Trump signing new checks could help their reelection chances. (That said, early voting in GA has already kicked off.) Seattle s Rep. Pramila Jayapal, co-chair of the Progressive Caucus, has made her stance on a potential stimulus package clear:
by Matt Baume • Dec 16, 2020 at 8:22 am
The simple request at the park. Nathalie Graham
An SPD attack on Cal Anderson is imminent: For the last few months, people have been camping in the middle of the park (as well as others around the city) and for whatever reason the city has chosen the week before Christmas to force them out. Protestors have barricaded the streets around the park; cops have been circling with lights and sirens; somebody set a tent on fire. No confrontation yet. Nathalie is on the scene. Sponsored The month long cycling event takes place this May, with ride challenges, prizes from Zoka Coffee and Primal Wear, and funds raised benefiting Attain Housing.
More anticipated Biden-Harris nominations: Former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm for energy department secretary, former EPA administrator Gina McCarthy for domestic climate czar, North Carolina environmental regulator Michael Regan for EPA administrator, and New York governor Andrew Cuomo aide Ali Zaidi for deputy White House climate coordinator.
Let s get this bread. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Biden made a drive-in rally appearance in Georgia: Speaking over cheers and car honks, Biden spoke in support of Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock, the two Democrats looking to unseat Republican incumbent Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in Georgia s runoff Senate election. If Ossoff and Warnock both do the deed, it would give the Democrats control of the Senate, assuring Biden s cabinet picks a speedy confirmation process. Biden s speech comes after two recounts in the state, with Georgia s electors casting their votes for him yesterday. Thank you for standing strong